Family!
I’m so happy that you guys are doing well. Your letters are honestly the highlight of my days in the MTC. I really miss talking to you about everything. Mom and Dad- all the time things happen and I think, “Oh my gosh! They would have the perfect thing to say right now. If I could only vent/get advice.” But, I think this is teaching me to not dwell on things that bother me. I do my best to just let them go, because really in the grand scheme of things how much does it matter that Elder Britt things Christ had three wives or that Elder Kitterman nags me to speak Zhongwen at least half as much as I do English. It doesn’t!
Qian Laoshi teaches us in the morning . We had a big grammar assessment (not a test but a “learning opportunity” (wo ai qian laoshi)). I did better than I expected to. I was happy. While he went over our results to figure out what he needs to teach or reteach I read in Doctrine and Covenants. Oh my gosh! Let me tell you my little epiphany. Chances are you guys already realized this, but I feel like a newborn in the gospel a lot of the time here, and this really opened up my eyes. In section 17 verse 9, Christ has just given council to the three witnesses. He closes by saying that what he has revealed he has done so to accomplish his righteous purposes. When I read that I realized that EVERYTHING that Heavenly Father and Christ do is for one purpose- “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of men.” [Moses 1:39] This church is so awesome because it all comes together. Every good thing that has happened in my life has been to bring me closer to Christ and exaltation. Every blessing. Every trial. Every prompting. Every answer to prayer. How did I not realize this years ago? Now, I am here, serving a mission. My purpose is, “to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the Restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.” Duh! This should be my purpose all the time. My purpose on earth is to come to Christ and to help others do the same. Knowing this should make everything a lot easier. Most decisions I shouldn’t waiver on; all I need to do is assess “will this help me or someone else come closer to the Celestial Kingdom?” I am so blessed. We are so blessed. I am so lucky to be doing what I’m doing right now. I was blessed in the car accident, blessed in meeting Kyle, blessed in surviving last Winter, blessed to be an Ozawa, blessed to know and love my Gamma girls, blessed to be with Sister McIntosh. More than anything I am so blessed to know Christ and to feel his Atonement working in my life. It’s amazing to feel Him lifting me and loving me.
So, after this realization, we started studying our LRC task on our own and I could not stop smiling. Qian asked, “Zeng jiemei, shenma?” (Sister Ozawa, what?) I had no response beside, “Wo hen kuai le.” (I am happy.) My companion asked why. I answered, “Yinwei, wo shi chuanjiaoshi.” (Because I am a missionary.) I really am so happy to be here. I miss home, but the Lord keeps me strong. I get frustrated, but envisioning my purpose and the divine assistance I receive soothes me. I love it. I could not imagine my life without this experience. I know I’ll come home a better person than I left (if that’s possible, just kidding!).
This day only gets better… We go to the TRC/LRC to teach and Shi laoshi is super excited because her friend, who is a real investigator, is volunteering as a fake investigator. Shi assigns us to rooms. We walk to the rooms and the room we have is the room where her friend is! A real investigator! From the real country of China!! Oh my gosh! I was so scared (darn that Satan!)! I asked Shi why she did that to us. She told me that she didn’t, that Heavenly Father did. She didn’t assign her friend to our room, her friend chose it on her own. So, we taught the first lesson in Mandarin. It wasn’t perftect, but it was still bang (awesome). It was real and that was the second best part. The very best part was knowing that the Spirit was helping us to testify, to speak Zhongwen and to touch this dear sister’s heart. Her friend was gracious and humble. It was a great experience. That night Shi told us that her friend decided she wanted to get baptized!! WAY COOL! It wasn’t us. It was the Spirit. Her friend has been reading the B.O.M. and attending church. She had been hesitant because of her parents but decided she was ready to face them. I am so happy. Thinking about it makes me happy all over again.
Sunday is always my favorite day of the week (beside Monday). This Sunday was extra special because I SPOKE IN CHURCH. They call on us randomly, we all prepare but no one knows who will speak. Ah! I was so nervous. I had written my talk, on humility, that day. Luckily I had the perfect icebreaker. I had been leading the music, so I started with this little quip… “Wo xiwang nimen xihuan wo de lian, yinwei nimen keyi kandao quanbu hui.” (I hope you all like my face, you get to see it the whole meeting!) Don’t worry, it got a laugh. At first I was shaking, but as can be expected, the Spirit stepped it. The talk went really well! I was supposed to be up there for 3-5 minutes but went for ten. (The MTC has taught me how long winded I can be. Thank you, Keith! I think I got it from you.) The branch president didn’t stop me because he thought it was good. I was so happy when sacrament meeting ended. Quite a few elders told me they really felt the Spirit as I spoke. That means I am doing what I’m supposed to! I’m teaching with the Spirit! IN MANDARIN. It’s amazing! This gospel is amazing!
Beside the fact that this email reveals I really am a missionary (I can’t believe I sound the way I do)… Exciting things… New missionaries! They are so great. I’m excited to have them. They help me remember how I should be and help me see how much I’ve been blessed here. Sister Mc and I still love each other. I was reprimanded by the branch president for not making my bed. I finally got Wyatt’s address! I still need my sister Lauren’s. And the church is true. I hope you know that I know that.
I love you guys! Muah!!
Zeng
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Archives
Hello Everyone,
This is Mandi. I like to think of myself as a partner in crime to my best friend Sister Ozawa.(one of my best friends anyway) These are the letters she sends to her family every week, ( in most of their entirety- I usually edit them for some spelling or edit out parts no one but her family would know or care about). She usually forwards them to me and then I have been e-mailing them out to the girls in our sorority, and a few others, but I think it would be easier to keep the archives here. It is a great way to follow her in her journey and watch each week as she grows stronger as a missionary and as a person. I hope you all enjoy.
This is Mandi. I like to think of myself as a partner in crime to my best friend Sister Ozawa.(one of my best friends anyway) These are the letters she sends to her family every week, ( in most of their entirety- I usually edit them for some spelling or edit out parts no one but her family would know or care about). She usually forwards them to me and then I have been e-mailing them out to the girls in our sorority, and a few others, but I think it would be easier to keep the archives here. It is a great way to follow her in her journey and watch each week as she grows stronger as a missionary and as a person. I hope you all enjoy.
Week 7
the subject line is my new favorite mandarin word. it means "gladly". one of my favorite things about the mtc is making qian laoshi and the rest of my district shakes their heads at me because of the words i ask the translation of. when qian asks me to do something i usually respond with "would i say no?" zhongwen zenma shuo (how do you say "would i say no?" in Mandarin)? wonderful words i have gotten the translation of include: dodgy, fight, gladly, only because, only of you, are you sure, whatever, oh my gosh!, can i just say... i think i drive my district nuts... the other day i was going through the tapes for my tape recorder (i'm making you a tape next week, surprise!) and found an old "recorded" diary from the summer before junior year of high school. HILARIOUS! we listened to it together. part of it talks about cameron mcdonald and says "when i'm around him i'm, like, speechless." elder welling said, "i cannot imagine someone that you are speechless around. i'd like to see that." funny.
I TAUGHT THE FIRST LESSON IN MANDARIN!!!!!!! holy cow. i was so so so scared. but the lord blesses those who are humble. the mtc has definitely humbled me, and continues to. we taught two "investigators" with a "member" it went really well and the spirit was strong. i even cried! i cried in mandarin! amazing!!! we will teach it again on saturday then next saturday we'll teach the second lesson. i cannot believe how quickly the time goes here. i swear, in a blink of an eye it is p-day again. crazy!!!!
i'm trying to come up with other noteworthy events... oh i know!! the packages you guys sent. nimen feichang bang! you guys are extremely awesome. thank you thank you thank you!
mom- we listen to the prince of egypt every day!! we love it. and as i type i am wearing brown opaque tights. the cookies from hawaii are delicious. (sister mcintosh demands we visit her! i think she wants to know who made me this way. haha)
dad- we read the joseph smith books every comp study. awesome! my favorite chapter so far is the one on repentance. joseph was an amazing man. i am grateful for him.
little girls- your drawings are THE BOMB! zenme name hao? how could that be so good! you are awesome!! <3<3
how is everyone feeling? my companion has been really sick. she would not go to the doctor. i kept PLEADING with her to. i think i kind of now know what it feels like to be a parent... asking someone to do what you feel would be best for them and being ignored. i'm sorry if i ignored you. i'll do my best not to anymore. well, one day in comp study she fell asleep twice. so, i FORCED her to go. and she was sick according to the mtc doctor. now she's on the road to recovery and i am still in sound health.
elder cornelius story of the week... i realized i tell you something funny he did every week. i think his sister ends up with these emails and the stories are amusing so i might as well keep it up... while teaching at the trc he and his comp asked the investigator if they had any questions. the investigator answered no and cornelius said "xie xie, xie xie (thank you thank you)". funny.
xu zhanglao (elder britt) and i got into an argument the other day. a fight! he was telling me about how jesus had three wives and a bunch of stuff about the dead sea scrolls. i told him that i will not read the dead sea scrolls as doctrine until a prophet/seer/revelator tells me i can/should do so. he was greatly offended. will you guys check into this all? my first instinct would be to ask ked. would you? how is he? i wrote connor a couple of weeks ago but haven't heard back yet.
did you guys get the stuff i sent last week? the picture and my schedule? i'll send more pictures today. i'm excited to take pictures that i can develop. i want you to see who i see every minute of everyday. remember how i used to have you go on facebook to look at people. i wish i could have you do that now.
wednesday we get three new girls! all going to kaohsiung ! exciting!!! i hope to be a good example to them.
well, my time is limited. and is running out. i love love love you guys! i hope you are well. i miss you!!!! muah muah muah muah muah.
<3 zeng/jade
ps an interesting thought... read the bible dictionary about prophets and then the referenced scriptures at the end. WE ARE PROPHETS! crazy! doesn't that make you feel more important?
I TAUGHT THE FIRST LESSON IN MANDARIN!!!!!!! holy cow. i was so so so scared. but the lord blesses those who are humble. the mtc has definitely humbled me, and continues to. we taught two "investigators" with a "member" it went really well and the spirit was strong. i even cried! i cried in mandarin! amazing!!! we will teach it again on saturday then next saturday we'll teach the second lesson. i cannot believe how quickly the time goes here. i swear, in a blink of an eye it is p-day again. crazy!!!!
i'm trying to come up with other noteworthy events... oh i know!! the packages you guys sent. nimen feichang bang! you guys are extremely awesome. thank you thank you thank you!
mom- we listen to the prince of egypt every day!! we love it. and as i type i am wearing brown opaque tights. the cookies from hawaii are delicious. (sister mcintosh demands we visit her! i think she wants to know who made me this way. haha)
dad- we read the joseph smith books every comp study. awesome! my favorite chapter so far is the one on repentance. joseph was an amazing man. i am grateful for him.
little girls- your drawings are THE BOMB! zenme name hao? how could that be so good! you are awesome!! <3<3
how is everyone feeling? my companion has been really sick. she would not go to the doctor. i kept PLEADING with her to. i think i kind of now know what it feels like to be a parent... asking someone to do what you feel would be best for them and being ignored. i'm sorry if i ignored you. i'll do my best not to anymore. well, one day in comp study she fell asleep twice. so, i FORCED her to go. and she was sick according to the mtc doctor. now she's on the road to recovery and i am still in sound health.
elder cornelius story of the week... i realized i tell you something funny he did every week. i think his sister ends up with these emails and the stories are amusing so i might as well keep it up... while teaching at the trc he and his comp asked the investigator if they had any questions. the investigator answered no and cornelius said "xie xie, xie xie (thank you thank you)". funny.
xu zhanglao (elder britt) and i got into an argument the other day. a fight! he was telling me about how jesus had three wives and a bunch of stuff about the dead sea scrolls. i told him that i will not read the dead sea scrolls as doctrine until a prophet/seer/revelator tells me i can/should do so. he was greatly offended. will you guys check into this all? my first instinct would be to ask ked. would you? how is he? i wrote connor a couple of weeks ago but haven't heard back yet.
did you guys get the stuff i sent last week? the picture and my schedule? i'll send more pictures today. i'm excited to take pictures that i can develop. i want you to see who i see every minute of everyday. remember how i used to have you go on facebook to look at people. i wish i could have you do that now.
wednesday we get three new girls! all going to kaohsiung ! exciting!!! i hope to be a good example to them.
well, my time is limited. and is running out. i love love love you guys! i hope you are well. i miss you!!!! muah muah muah muah muah.
<3 zeng/jade
ps an interesting thought... read the bible dictionary about prophets and then the referenced scriptures at the end. WE ARE PROPHETS! crazy! doesn't that make you feel more important?
Wo de jiating! (my family!)
I am so happy to be writing you. I have a lot to tell you!
So, at the beginning of the week, after writing the last email, I thought. Oh my gosh! What am going to tell them next week? My life here is getting so boring. But, lo and behold, this week was not so. Yes, the MTC is starting to feel like a prison. I still like it, but envisioning life after is kind of difficult. But, we manage to have fun.
Today started out hai hao (okay). Our roommates, whom I refuse to speak ill of because I’m working on charity, got up at six (an hour early) and did not make an effort to be quiet in the least bit. Lucky for them, we are in the MTC and I have vowed to have the voice and words of an angel, a missionary angel. After dressing quickly in my green skirt and brown sweater and placing my brown Lacoste glasses on my face, I started personal study. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Moermenjing (the Book of Mormon). After reading in Alma, I worked on the study journal I’m compiling by topic. After an hour I started the response letter to the O’Grady’s. They sent me a box of Take 5’s and a really cute book of letters from each of them. Zao can shijian (Breakfast time) came and we headed to the cafeteria. As we walked out of the doors of our new building (to be discussed shortly), we saw two of the elders from our district, Cornelius and Kitterman. Cornelius started running to the main building so I did too. I don’t remember who won, just that he yelled “Let me open the door for you!!!!” in a really funny way. To which I responded, “You will never beat a sister.” The kid is hilarious! Last night he did his impersonation of me saying, “Wo shi shei? (Who am I?)… Mo-er-men-jing.” I stared blankly and he shouted, “Wo shi ni!! (I am you!)” Apparently I have some crazy and slow way of pronouncing the Book of Mormon. Hao xiao (funny).
Now, back in time…
Tuesday- Our class went to the RC and did outbound calls, i.e. called people that had requested things and made sure they got what they wanted. (that sentence sounds weird, “got what they wanted?” Who am I?) I talked to a guy named Norman who was in middle of the lessons from the missionaries. He told me that the gospel was transforming his life and that he has never been happier. That’s what the gospel does, bring happiness. That is why missions and member missionary work is so important. I invite you all (anyone who reads this) to tell one non-member friend about at least one way the gospel has brought happiness to your life.
Tuesday night I got an interesting beyond all reasoning letter… I couldn’t read the return address, it was just a name, so I was super anxious to open it. Who was it from? AN ELDER THAT I MET AT THE MTC THAT HAD JUST LEFT. The kid was a creep. One time Sister McIntosh and I passed his zone and said ni hao (hi). He said something but it was muffled, I said what but it was too late. At the cafeteria shortly after he explained himself. I politely listened. From that point forward he was always winking at me and smiling at me and aalways seemed to be where I was. So, this letter is about how I’m cute and he really wanted to talk to me and get to know me better. He asked me to write or email him but left no address or email address. Weird! Weird! Weird! The elders in my zone commended me and challenged me to try to get as many elders as possible from the MTC to write me. I know I could prey on those I play four-square with (I am getting so much better and gaining much deserved respect) but I will not. I turned down the challenge (a first) and decided to be better focused.
Wednesday- We moved. What’s that you ask? Didn’t we move the week before? Yes, we did. This move was better in some ways, more room. Worse in others, no more living with Wonderful Sister McKinley instead we live with two sisters that don’t talk to us but talk about us behind our backs to their district, who then tell us about it. Awesome! Anyway, the point of the story is this: Our elders helped us move and other elders helped other sisters. After a bit they were all kicked out and I really needed to shower. I started to change out of my clothes (my pajama pants were super low and I started to take off my sweater, under which I had my bra and g’s). Our door was cracked open so I peaked my head out and what do you know, had eye contact with Elder Gassin! We both looked away quickly. He hasn’t said a word to me since, and leaves tomorrow to go to Vegas because his visa for Taiwan didn’t come through. (Las Vegas East, sorry). You have to understand Elder Gassin to understand this story. He is kind of perfect seeming. He totally lloks like he belongs in a country club but is really really nice, super super smart, graduated early, student body president, tennis team star, Hinckley scholar (highest scholarship at the Y), amazing with zhongwen (Mandarin). I know all of this because he is friends with Sister McKinley. So, pretty much I defiled a focused and pure missionary’s mind, and the first man to see me in garments did so at the MTC. Journal material!
Thursday- Within ten minutes I saw Kathryn Herrscher (of Gamma)’s boyfriend, Jeff Zwick (Kyle’s best friend) and Ty Sivertsen. I’m not very good at avoiding the appearance of evil. Ty gave me his parents address and I’m sure it looked so dodgy as I wrote it down.
Saturday- Funny experience at the TRC/LRC… First the volunteer didn’t know we were 5 week missionary, he thought were were 12 week missionaries and started talking about crazy stuff. It was funny but not worth typing. At one point, after we clarified our duration at the MTC he asked about how I liked his bed (we were “helping him move”) and I responded BU HAO (BAD!). He got a really weird expression and my companion explained to me that he had asked about how I liked his bed. I thought he asked how our beds were. It was funny.
Sunday- We got to see the Worldwide Leadership Training about families. Something must be going on, because they rarely broadcast to that many! I really loved the way they had the panel. It was funny, no missionaries were interested at all! And it was really long.
That’s it. My life in the MTC. I hope are all well. Thank you for the letters! I love love love them. And I’m sending a picture of me from Elder Welling’s camera. Let’s just say, I’m a model missionary. Ha.
I love you guys! Muah!!!
Zeng jiemei.
I am so happy to be writing you. I have a lot to tell you!
So, at the beginning of the week, after writing the last email, I thought. Oh my gosh! What am going to tell them next week? My life here is getting so boring. But, lo and behold, this week was not so. Yes, the MTC is starting to feel like a prison. I still like it, but envisioning life after is kind of difficult. But, we manage to have fun.
Today started out hai hao (okay). Our roommates, whom I refuse to speak ill of because I’m working on charity, got up at six (an hour early) and did not make an effort to be quiet in the least bit. Lucky for them, we are in the MTC and I have vowed to have the voice and words of an angel, a missionary angel. After dressing quickly in my green skirt and brown sweater and placing my brown Lacoste glasses on my face, I started personal study. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Moermenjing (the Book of Mormon). After reading in Alma, I worked on the study journal I’m compiling by topic. After an hour I started the response letter to the O’Grady’s. They sent me a box of Take 5’s and a really cute book of letters from each of them. Zao can shijian (Breakfast time) came and we headed to the cafeteria. As we walked out of the doors of our new building (to be discussed shortly), we saw two of the elders from our district, Cornelius and Kitterman. Cornelius started running to the main building so I did too. I don’t remember who won, just that he yelled “Let me open the door for you!!!!” in a really funny way. To which I responded, “You will never beat a sister.” The kid is hilarious! Last night he did his impersonation of me saying, “Wo shi shei? (Who am I?)… Mo-er-men-jing.” I stared blankly and he shouted, “Wo shi ni!! (I am you!)” Apparently I have some crazy and slow way of pronouncing the Book of Mormon. Hao xiao (funny).
Now, back in time…
Tuesday- Our class went to the RC and did outbound calls, i.e. called people that had requested things and made sure they got what they wanted. (that sentence sounds weird, “got what they wanted?” Who am I?) I talked to a guy named Norman who was in middle of the lessons from the missionaries. He told me that the gospel was transforming his life and that he has never been happier. That’s what the gospel does, bring happiness. That is why missions and member missionary work is so important. I invite you all (anyone who reads this) to tell one non-member friend about at least one way the gospel has brought happiness to your life.
Tuesday night I got an interesting beyond all reasoning letter… I couldn’t read the return address, it was just a name, so I was super anxious to open it. Who was it from? AN ELDER THAT I MET AT THE MTC THAT HAD JUST LEFT. The kid was a creep. One time Sister McIntosh and I passed his zone and said ni hao (hi). He said something but it was muffled, I said what but it was too late. At the cafeteria shortly after he explained himself. I politely listened. From that point forward he was always winking at me and smiling at me and aalways seemed to be where I was. So, this letter is about how I’m cute and he really wanted to talk to me and get to know me better. He asked me to write or email him but left no address or email address. Weird! Weird! Weird! The elders in my zone commended me and challenged me to try to get as many elders as possible from the MTC to write me. I know I could prey on those I play four-square with (I am getting so much better and gaining much deserved respect) but I will not. I turned down the challenge (a first) and decided to be better focused.
Wednesday- We moved. What’s that you ask? Didn’t we move the week before? Yes, we did. This move was better in some ways, more room. Worse in others, no more living with Wonderful Sister McKinley instead we live with two sisters that don’t talk to us but talk about us behind our backs to their district, who then tell us about it. Awesome! Anyway, the point of the story is this: Our elders helped us move and other elders helped other sisters. After a bit they were all kicked out and I really needed to shower. I started to change out of my clothes (my pajama pants were super low and I started to take off my sweater, under which I had my bra and g’s). Our door was cracked open so I peaked my head out and what do you know, had eye contact with Elder Gassin! We both looked away quickly. He hasn’t said a word to me since, and leaves tomorrow to go to Vegas because his visa for Taiwan didn’t come through. (Las Vegas East, sorry). You have to understand Elder Gassin to understand this story. He is kind of perfect seeming. He totally lloks like he belongs in a country club but is really really nice, super super smart, graduated early, student body president, tennis team star, Hinckley scholar (highest scholarship at the Y), amazing with zhongwen (Mandarin). I know all of this because he is friends with Sister McKinley. So, pretty much I defiled a focused and pure missionary’s mind, and the first man to see me in garments did so at the MTC. Journal material!
Thursday- Within ten minutes I saw Kathryn Herrscher (of Gamma)’s boyfriend, Jeff Zwick (Kyle’s best friend) and Ty Sivertsen. I’m not very good at avoiding the appearance of evil. Ty gave me his parents address and I’m sure it looked so dodgy as I wrote it down.
Saturday- Funny experience at the TRC/LRC… First the volunteer didn’t know we were 5 week missionary, he thought were were 12 week missionaries and started talking about crazy stuff. It was funny but not worth typing. At one point, after we clarified our duration at the MTC he asked about how I liked his bed (we were “helping him move”) and I responded BU HAO (BAD!). He got a really weird expression and my companion explained to me that he had asked about how I liked his bed. I thought he asked how our beds were. It was funny.
Sunday- We got to see the Worldwide Leadership Training about families. Something must be going on, because they rarely broadcast to that many! I really loved the way they had the panel. It was funny, no missionaries were interested at all! And it was really long.
That’s it. My life in the MTC. I hope are all well. Thank you for the letters! I love love love them. And I’m sending a picture of me from Elder Welling’s camera. Let’s just say, I’m a model missionary. Ha.
I love you guys! Muah!!!
Zeng jiemei.
Week 4
oh my gosh! can you believe that i've been here almost a month? some days i can't, some days i can. it's hard at times to picture life outside of the mtc, which is a good and bad thing.
it's always great to hear about the family!!! you guys need to tell me every detail. i feel totally out of touch. MAKE SURE YOU GUYS DON'T FORGET HOW AWESOME I AM. (xiao hua (joke))
how was the super bowl? please say that you spent as much time watching president hinckley's funeral as you did watching the game. they let us watch it here, and last night rather than a speaker we watched a documentary on him that ksl 5 did. what a spectacular man! oh AND i just heard the news... ELDER UCHTDORF! awesome! i've always been wary of president monson, he kind of scares me. but after hearing him speak and laugh at the funeral i felt comforted. i know that we're in good hands.
i'm trying to think about what to write you about this week. honestly, it has FLOWN. time goes fast but i feel like my language skills are not keeping up. yesterday i had the blessed opportunity of praying in sacrament meeting! i couldn't feel my fingers! a lot of people complimented me on my tones. i don't know. hopefully at least by the time i get to taiwan i'll feel comfortable. next saturday (not this one) we teach the first discussion in mandarin. YIKES! wo zhidao tianfu ai wo (i know heavenly father loves me) so it will be hao (good).
teaching at the trc went pretty well this week. sister m and i aren't as comfortable with lesson two as we were with lesson one. the guy we taught just got home from the mission we're going to. he helped us a lot, and stretched us with tough questions. he said that the mission president in kaohsiung is awesome. he said you can feel his love.
i want to tell you guys about my teachers. they are inspirations. qian laoshi is probably my favorite person in the world. he interviewed me this week. as soon as we sat down i couldn't remember all of the woes i had to let out. he has this amazing faith that makes you feel like small troubles don't matter (the ones that really don't). the way he teaches and discusses goes straight to your heart. he helps me see what i would someday (far far away) would like to marry. you know, someone that is totally kicking it with christlike attributes. (go buy PREACH MY GOSPEL so that you can know what i'm talking about.)
wow! my life here is so boring. i don't have much to tell you about. i'll make sure to include more next time.
how about this... a few things i've learned about myself since i got to the mtc...
i love: cornbread, tapioca pudding, ice cream, the book of mormon, "our search for happiness" (ballard's book, i'm reading it once a month)
i hate: when people don't turn off lights or shut doors (when they leave or enter a room), when people cough without covering their mouths
also: i walk with long, fast strides. i look up to 19 year old young men. i am organized.
I’ll think of other things to tell you… We moved into another building which means that we have half the storage space. We also have two new roommates. They aren’t very nice. But I’m going to learn to love them, I swear.
Things are still good with my companion, but we seem to get more and more different by the day. Oh well.
I saw Breyden Burley. Funniest thing! I saw him in the “quad” type area. We saw each other at the same time and both of us threw out our arms to hug. Then immediately put them down to shake hands. Elder Welling laughed so hard!!!
Dad, you asked which I like more, email or dearelder. Dearelder is nice because I get it that day or night. But it’s nice to have something in the inbox when I email because I don’t get anything Saturday or Sunday. So… whatever you guys prefer. I just love to hear from you!
I don’t have much else. I’ll try to note noteworthy things during the week so that my emails are better.
Oh! Two kind of funny things… Elder Cornelius’s new favorite thing to say to me is “wo bu yao kan ni de tou” (I don’t want to see your head). And this morning a missionary from another district offered me his eggs this morning. It was weird. I was walking to get orange juice and he was taking his trays to the tray drop. Strange! But funny.
Well, I love love love love you guys. And I love the gospel. You should too!
Wo zhidao zhege jiaohui shi zhenshi de. (I know this church is true.)
it's always great to hear about the family!!! you guys need to tell me every detail. i feel totally out of touch. MAKE SURE YOU GUYS DON'T FORGET HOW AWESOME I AM. (xiao hua (joke))
how was the super bowl? please say that you spent as much time watching president hinckley's funeral as you did watching the game. they let us watch it here, and last night rather than a speaker we watched a documentary on him that ksl 5 did. what a spectacular man! oh AND i just heard the news... ELDER UCHTDORF! awesome! i've always been wary of president monson, he kind of scares me. but after hearing him speak and laugh at the funeral i felt comforted. i know that we're in good hands.
i'm trying to think about what to write you about this week. honestly, it has FLOWN. time goes fast but i feel like my language skills are not keeping up. yesterday i had the blessed opportunity of praying in sacrament meeting! i couldn't feel my fingers! a lot of people complimented me on my tones. i don't know. hopefully at least by the time i get to taiwan i'll feel comfortable. next saturday (not this one) we teach the first discussion in mandarin. YIKES! wo zhidao tianfu ai wo (i know heavenly father loves me) so it will be hao (good).
teaching at the trc went pretty well this week. sister m and i aren't as comfortable with lesson two as we were with lesson one. the guy we taught just got home from the mission we're going to. he helped us a lot, and stretched us with tough questions. he said that the mission president in kaohsiung is awesome. he said you can feel his love.
i want to tell you guys about my teachers. they are inspirations. qian laoshi is probably my favorite person in the world. he interviewed me this week. as soon as we sat down i couldn't remember all of the woes i had to let out. he has this amazing faith that makes you feel like small troubles don't matter (the ones that really don't). the way he teaches and discusses goes straight to your heart. he helps me see what i would someday (far far away) would like to marry. you know, someone that is totally kicking it with christlike attributes. (go buy PREACH MY GOSPEL so that you can know what i'm talking about.)
wow! my life here is so boring. i don't have much to tell you about. i'll make sure to include more next time.
how about this... a few things i've learned about myself since i got to the mtc...
i love: cornbread, tapioca pudding, ice cream, the book of mormon, "our search for happiness" (ballard's book, i'm reading it once a month)
i hate: when people don't turn off lights or shut doors (when they leave or enter a room), when people cough without covering their mouths
also: i walk with long, fast strides. i look up to 19 year old young men. i am organized.
I’ll think of other things to tell you… We moved into another building which means that we have half the storage space. We also have two new roommates. They aren’t very nice. But I’m going to learn to love them, I swear.
Things are still good with my companion, but we seem to get more and more different by the day. Oh well.
I saw Breyden Burley. Funniest thing! I saw him in the “quad” type area. We saw each other at the same time and both of us threw out our arms to hug. Then immediately put them down to shake hands. Elder Welling laughed so hard!!!
Dad, you asked which I like more, email or dearelder. Dearelder is nice because I get it that day or night. But it’s nice to have something in the inbox when I email because I don’t get anything Saturday or Sunday. So… whatever you guys prefer. I just love to hear from you!
I don’t have much else. I’ll try to note noteworthy things during the week so that my emails are better.
Oh! Two kind of funny things… Elder Cornelius’s new favorite thing to say to me is “wo bu yao kan ni de tou” (I don’t want to see your head). And this morning a missionary from another district offered me his eggs this morning. It was weird. I was walking to get orange juice and he was taking his trays to the tray drop. Strange! But funny.
Well, I love love love love you guys. And I love the gospel. You should too!
Wo zhidao zhege jiaohui shi zhenshi de. (I know this church is true.)
Week 3
oh my gosh! oh my gosh! oh my gosh!
i have so so so much to tell you guys about. and so little time.
thank you for all of the news from the outside/real world. the main thing that keeps me going in this bubble (beside my faith and the faith of my companion) is mail! so keep it coming! i love it. i miss hearing your voices, reading your voices is the next best thing.
i do hear from quite a few people... mostly gamma girls, sheri sivertsen sent some sweet rolls, grandma ireva, grammy, troy.
yes, forward these to all you please. if necessary please edit content. i love the food here and eat way too much.
i hope your trips were great. i hope you thought of me as i walk from building to building in the snow.
lauren is amazing! i'm going to touch her as soon as i get home, so that colin will rub off on me.
i was surprised by my sadness about heath's death. spirit world missionaries will get him i'm sure.
so... my life in the mtc... never a dull moment yet many dull moments.
this week we trained at the referral center (rc) where people call for free dvds and books the church advertises. i had interesting experiences there this week. the first was amazing. i pretty much gave the first lesson over the phone and the woman i spoke to said she would go buy the book of mormon. (we can only send one free thing and she wanted the lamb of god dvd.) i told her to read 3 nephi 11. she wrote the chapter down and said she would. i think she will!!! i wish i had a way to contact her. she was amazing and the spirit was really strong. the next day i got a freaky phone call that lasted about 40 minutes. sometimes the guy sounded like he was honestly interested, other it sounded like he was bashing. he asked about the law of chastity and if cuddling was okay. what the heck am i supposed to say? and he asked about the acappella group inside out. weird. weird. weird.
sister mcintosh and i taught at the tec (teacher evaluation center) where we practice and teachers give us feedback. the teacher we taught asked us to come back. he said we teach with power and he struggled to come up with criticism. awesome! we were so happy and felt really good about our teaching tast at the trc that would be the next day. it, unfortunately, didn't go as well as planned. i don't know what the deal was but the flow wasn't there. we were really discouraged but qian laoshi (our amazing amazing amzing teacher) told us that everything that he heard was perfect, and that the sit in investigators were the problem.
funny things to tell you about...
the mtc turns you into a forty year old and a ten year old at the same time. qian laoshi taught us exercises to do in the classroom. one is called ji fengli. it's silly i'll show you when i get home. the point is that i pulled my hamstrings doing it! crazy. and i have had sore abs all week from my amazing sit ups. ha! (dad, yes, stock up on the sports bras please.) my comp and i laughed outloud about the combo.
my new favorite thing is playing four-square with the elders at gym. the dummies play like fools when girls are on the court (court?). i try to get them to play like real men but they don't. i'll break them. my goal is to be king square the entire game by the time i leave. MAKE IT A GOAL, MAKE IT HAPPEN.
an elder in my district had a dream that a guy followed me to the mtc, submitted papers so that we would be here the same time, then proposed to me here. weird. funny.
so, our district has a goal to be more positive as we start speaking the language (which i SUCK at). i told them about saying three nice things to someone after you say something mean. so now, when we say something negative about ANYTHING we have to say three positive things. i have had to say three nice things about tones, three masculine things about elder welling (i accidentally referred to him as "she"), nice things about myself and more. qian laoshi is really funny. he made a sign that says zhongwen on one side and yingwen on the other (mandarin/english). the mandarin side has a little man drawn on it. when i accidentally spoke english in class he decided that we have to apologize to "his friend" when we slip into our native language. i'm the only one who has had to say "duibuqi, qian laoshi de pengyou" (sorry, teacher money's friend.) and i've had to twice!!! ha
the district has figured out my nostrils. it makes things funnier.
one sad thing... the prophet! will you keep me updated, via dearelder, about what goes on. they told us right after we watched the restoration video last night. i didn't know i would cry so hard. and i have never heard 19 year old boys sob before. sorrow permeated the huge room where we have devotionals and exercise like i have never experienced. he was a great man. we will miss him. the mtc has a sad air today. i'm sure it will turn into gladness soon as we all realize that president monson will be sustained! i'm looking forward to seeing what he has for us to learn in his dispensation.
well, time is almost up. i love love love love love you guys. wo ai nimen.
<3
zeng jiemei
i have so so so much to tell you guys about. and so little time.
thank you for all of the news from the outside/real world. the main thing that keeps me going in this bubble (beside my faith and the faith of my companion) is mail! so keep it coming! i love it. i miss hearing your voices, reading your voices is the next best thing.
i do hear from quite a few people... mostly gamma girls, sheri sivertsen sent some sweet rolls, grandma ireva, grammy, troy.
yes, forward these to all you please. if necessary please edit content. i love the food here and eat way too much.
i hope your trips were great. i hope you thought of me as i walk from building to building in the snow.
lauren is amazing! i'm going to touch her as soon as i get home, so that colin will rub off on me.
i was surprised by my sadness about heath's death. spirit world missionaries will get him i'm sure.
so... my life in the mtc... never a dull moment yet many dull moments.
this week we trained at the referral center (rc) where people call for free dvds and books the church advertises. i had interesting experiences there this week. the first was amazing. i pretty much gave the first lesson over the phone and the woman i spoke to said she would go buy the book of mormon. (we can only send one free thing and she wanted the lamb of god dvd.) i told her to read 3 nephi 11. she wrote the chapter down and said she would. i think she will!!! i wish i had a way to contact her. she was amazing and the spirit was really strong. the next day i got a freaky phone call that lasted about 40 minutes. sometimes the guy sounded like he was honestly interested, other it sounded like he was bashing. he asked about the law of chastity and if cuddling was okay. what the heck am i supposed to say? and he asked about the acappella group inside out. weird. weird. weird.
sister mcintosh and i taught at the tec (teacher evaluation center) where we practice and teachers give us feedback. the teacher we taught asked us to come back. he said we teach with power and he struggled to come up with criticism. awesome! we were so happy and felt really good about our teaching tast at the trc that would be the next day. it, unfortunately, didn't go as well as planned. i don't know what the deal was but the flow wasn't there. we were really discouraged but qian laoshi (our amazing amazing amzing teacher) told us that everything that he heard was perfect, and that the sit in investigators were the problem.
funny things to tell you about...
the mtc turns you into a forty year old and a ten year old at the same time. qian laoshi taught us exercises to do in the classroom. one is called ji fengli. it's silly i'll show you when i get home. the point is that i pulled my hamstrings doing it! crazy. and i have had sore abs all week from my amazing sit ups. ha! (dad, yes, stock up on the sports bras please.) my comp and i laughed outloud about the combo.
my new favorite thing is playing four-square with the elders at gym. the dummies play like fools when girls are on the court (court?). i try to get them to play like real men but they don't. i'll break them. my goal is to be king square the entire game by the time i leave. MAKE IT A GOAL, MAKE IT HAPPEN.
an elder in my district had a dream that a guy followed me to the mtc, submitted papers so that we would be here the same time, then proposed to me here. weird. funny.
so, our district has a goal to be more positive as we start speaking the language (which i SUCK at). i told them about saying three nice things to someone after you say something mean. so now, when we say something negative about ANYTHING we have to say three positive things. i have had to say three nice things about tones, three masculine things about elder welling (i accidentally referred to him as "she"), nice things about myself and more. qian laoshi is really funny. he made a sign that says zhongwen on one side and yingwen on the other (mandarin/english). the mandarin side has a little man drawn on it. when i accidentally spoke english in class he decided that we have to apologize to "his friend" when we slip into our native language. i'm the only one who has had to say "duibuqi, qian laoshi de pengyou" (sorry, teacher money's friend.) and i've had to twice!!! ha
the district has figured out my nostrils. it makes things funnier.
one sad thing... the prophet! will you keep me updated, via dearelder, about what goes on. they told us right after we watched the restoration video last night. i didn't know i would cry so hard. and i have never heard 19 year old boys sob before. sorrow permeated the huge room where we have devotionals and exercise like i have never experienced. he was a great man. we will miss him. the mtc has a sad air today. i'm sure it will turn into gladness soon as we all realize that president monson will be sustained! i'm looking forward to seeing what he has for us to learn in his dispensation.
well, time is almost up. i love love love love love you guys. wo ai nimen.
<3
zeng jiemei
Shemna Da
are you serious? the first opportunity i have to read an email from the family and nothing? shenma da (what the)? i hope you are all still alive. anyway...
time goes so fast in the mtc. it really is a wonderful and happy place. wo ai (i love it). it has become more apparent that my companion and i are really different. i just found out that she was homeschooled (that explains a few things). we still get along but i'm learning patience. i'm someone that likes to multitask, you know, watch tv, listen to music, do math homework and chew gum all at once. she can't listen and write at the same time, and she write painstakingly small and slow. this is cause for some abrasion, but not enough to complain about. our teaching together goes really well. yesterday we had an accountability interview with a member of our branch presidency. he asked us to teach a principle from the first lesson off the cuff. whoa! we were so nervous. but he said we teach as if we've been teaching for years. he could feel our warmth and our transitions from one to the other were seamless! so exciting.
An exciting thing this week was our first trc/lrc task. the trc/lrc is where we practice real missionary stuff. our first appointment was on saturday. we had to knock on doors, introduce ourselves and our purpose, testify and get a referral in chinese. that bit went okay. our first door though thought he could speak mandarin when in fact he couldn't. we asked for his name and he said "hao" (good). then we shared our testimonies and he stared blankly. funny. this guy was the same one we had to teach. (i hope you guys laugh at this story, if you were in the mtc you would think it was hilarious.) so we go back and knock again then ask if we can continue in english. he doesn't understand so we just start speaking yingwen (english). we sit down and get to know him (he seems almost flaming but not quite). then we ask our lead in question, "what do you believe about god?" he answers, "i know god loves me and i feel his love." pretty much a summary of the first part of the lesson. we respond with "you're right" and then go into more detail. then we say "one way god shows his love for us is by sending prophets. what do you know about prophets?" "i know they are called by god to receive revelation and lead the people" another summary! what the heck? he's supposed to be non-christian. so we again say "you're right" and go deeper. i asked if he ever disobeyed his parents (paralleling it to disobeying our heavenly father by not listening to prophets), he tells a 10 minute story about ditching school for ice cream. i'm so proud (but humble because the lord helped me) about my save. "i used to ditch school a lot too, and because of it my grades suffered. rules to go to school are there so we can excel, just like commandments are given so we can progress towards living with god again." oh my gosh! it gets crazier. he goes off on some tangent and then shares a scripture WITH US, not US WITH HIM. then we get to the book of mormon. "have you heard of the book of mormon?" "yes i've read pamphlets on it. i know it's true." WHAT?????? he continues, "prophets went to the americas ... other sheep not of this fold... the olive tree..." how do we recoup from that? i say, "so you've read it?" "no i've read pamphlets." "wow, you must have much more faith than i do, i had to read the whole thing and pray about it before i gained testimonry. (share moroni 10_3-5) i know that if you read it and pray about it you will have the truth RECONFIRMED, you will know for sure." oh my! it was hilarious. our teacher commended our efforts. hahahha
oh!! thank you thank you thank you for the package. the medicine and chocolate helped a ton. i'm still stuffy but a lot better than before. you are so great, i love you. so far i have about a letter a day average. let's keep that up, please. i want to hear what you guys are up to, and what you think about the stories i tell you. things here are so great, but the language is tough. our district made a goal to start speaking only mandarin a week early, that is starting next monday. i don't feel prepared. pray that i am able to learn about threee semesters worth this week. ha. what else? our dorm building has plumbing problems so we have to move to another this week. it will be okay though. um, some elders that came the same day as me but already speak mandarin are leaving already (one today, one next week, one the week after). um, i am happy to have little brothers. i know that i'll stay friends with at least two elders from my district.
the spirit here is amazing. as of yet, i don't want to leave. OH!! a few days ago i did my first full sit ups ever! hahahaha. we took pictures. i did about thirteen before i was shaking on my way up. the next day i aimed for 15 but did 18. today i'm doing two sets of 12, tomorrow two sets of 15 and hopefully the day after two sets of 20. dad, you thought i wouldn't work out. ha! elder welling and i made a goal to reach 100 by the time we go to taiwan (he's doing push ups though).
i love you guys and miss you. write me. send me pictures. i'll send some soon so you can see everyone i tell you about. muah!!!
zeng jie mei
time goes so fast in the mtc. it really is a wonderful and happy place. wo ai (i love it). it has become more apparent that my companion and i are really different. i just found out that she was homeschooled (that explains a few things). we still get along but i'm learning patience. i'm someone that likes to multitask, you know, watch tv, listen to music, do math homework and chew gum all at once. she can't listen and write at the same time, and she write painstakingly small and slow. this is cause for some abrasion, but not enough to complain about. our teaching together goes really well. yesterday we had an accountability interview with a member of our branch presidency. he asked us to teach a principle from the first lesson off the cuff. whoa! we were so nervous. but he said we teach as if we've been teaching for years. he could feel our warmth and our transitions from one to the other were seamless! so exciting.
An exciting thing this week was our first trc/lrc task. the trc/lrc is where we practice real missionary stuff. our first appointment was on saturday. we had to knock on doors, introduce ourselves and our purpose, testify and get a referral in chinese. that bit went okay. our first door though thought he could speak mandarin when in fact he couldn't. we asked for his name and he said "hao" (good). then we shared our testimonies and he stared blankly. funny. this guy was the same one we had to teach. (i hope you guys laugh at this story, if you were in the mtc you would think it was hilarious.) so we go back and knock again then ask if we can continue in english. he doesn't understand so we just start speaking yingwen (english). we sit down and get to know him (he seems almost flaming but not quite). then we ask our lead in question, "what do you believe about god?" he answers, "i know god loves me and i feel his love." pretty much a summary of the first part of the lesson. we respond with "you're right" and then go into more detail. then we say "one way god shows his love for us is by sending prophets. what do you know about prophets?" "i know they are called by god to receive revelation and lead the people" another summary! what the heck? he's supposed to be non-christian. so we again say "you're right" and go deeper. i asked if he ever disobeyed his parents (paralleling it to disobeying our heavenly father by not listening to prophets), he tells a 10 minute story about ditching school for ice cream. i'm so proud (but humble because the lord helped me) about my save. "i used to ditch school a lot too, and because of it my grades suffered. rules to go to school are there so we can excel, just like commandments are given so we can progress towards living with god again." oh my gosh! it gets crazier. he goes off on some tangent and then shares a scripture WITH US, not US WITH HIM. then we get to the book of mormon. "have you heard of the book of mormon?" "yes i've read pamphlets on it. i know it's true." WHAT?????? he continues, "prophets went to the americas ... other sheep not of this fold... the olive tree..." how do we recoup from that? i say, "so you've read it?" "no i've read pamphlets." "wow, you must have much more faith than i do, i had to read the whole thing and pray about it before i gained testimonry. (share moroni 10_3-5) i know that if you read it and pray about it you will have the truth RECONFIRMED, you will know for sure." oh my! it was hilarious. our teacher commended our efforts. hahahha
oh!! thank you thank you thank you for the package. the medicine and chocolate helped a ton. i'm still stuffy but a lot better than before. you are so great, i love you. so far i have about a letter a day average. let's keep that up, please. i want to hear what you guys are up to, and what you think about the stories i tell you. things here are so great, but the language is tough. our district made a goal to start speaking only mandarin a week early, that is starting next monday. i don't feel prepared. pray that i am able to learn about threee semesters worth this week. ha. what else? our dorm building has plumbing problems so we have to move to another this week. it will be okay though. um, some elders that came the same day as me but already speak mandarin are leaving already (one today, one next week, one the week after). um, i am happy to have little brothers. i know that i'll stay friends with at least two elders from my district.
the spirit here is amazing. as of yet, i don't want to leave. OH!! a few days ago i did my first full sit ups ever! hahahaha. we took pictures. i did about thirteen before i was shaking on my way up. the next day i aimed for 15 but did 18. today i'm doing two sets of 12, tomorrow two sets of 15 and hopefully the day after two sets of 20. dad, you thought i wouldn't work out. ha! elder welling and i made a goal to reach 100 by the time we go to taiwan (he's doing push ups though).
i love you guys and miss you. write me. send me pictures. i'll send some soon so you can see everyone i tell you about. muah!!!
zeng jie mei
Ni Hao Ma
oh my gosh! i cannot believe that five days have already passed. reed larson described the mtc as a vortex. he said that days and classes seem to go on forever but weeks and months seem to fly by. totally true!
i was so mad when i found out that i wouldn't be able to check for emails that you may have sent. dad found dearelder.com, bless him. i recommend that you guys use it and tell everyone else to as well (via facebook, word of mouth, email, etc). it's free and i get the letters that day or the next. i regret to inform you, father, that troy beat you to it and his was the first letter i received.
so, the mtc is wonderful and i'm happy. lately my faith has been like a rollercoaster but i tell myself that that's exactly what lucifer is trying for, you know, to break me down right now. i constantly think back to opening my call, getting here and what not and jump right back in.
my companion is sister mcintosh (mei jie mei) from northern california via byu-h. we're different but i love her. we get along really well so far. in my flat are a girl from japan and sister mckinley. sis mckinley is so cool. she's friends with gretchen devine, my friend through wyatt. my district is freaking SICK (i've only said freaking once since i got here!)!!! there is elder welling (wang zhanglao), the guy i met on facebook. he goes to the y and is really easy going. his companion is elder britt (wu zhanglao). he is my biggest struggle in the mtc. the kid spent three months in china and thinks he knows everything. he corrects our teachers. he corrects me. and a lot of the time HE'S WRONG! whatever. the third companionship is my favorite... elder cornelius (liu zhanglao) and elder kitterman (tang zhanglao). kitterman is related to the 8th ave kittermans! he's from gilbert and is a talented singer and pianist. he just got called as district leader and will be so great at that! elder cornelius is a girl in gamma's brother. he is sosososososo funny. we laugh all the time (sometimes getting in the way of work). he has a dry sense of humor and says the most hilarious stuff. as a whole we rock. we're all going to kaohsiung and plan to own the place!!
my zone is pretty fly too. we have quite a few from new zealand and australia . zack peterson (of cowles relations) is in there and kelli angulo (an jiemei). she and i get along really well.
my teachers are brother money (qian laoshi) and sister smith (shi laoshi). i love them. brother money is dorky and i want him to date, but he's so smart and kind. i make him laugh when i say things to sister mcintosh like "only because wo ai ni" (only because i love you). i've learned a lot from them and they are constantly bearing testimony and enriching mine. the language is A BEAST!!!! on saturday i have my first task at the TRC/LRC (teaching/learning r.... center). as a companionship we have to "walk through a park and contact three people", introducing ourselves, praying with them, bearing testimony and asking for referrals then we have to teach the first discussion in english. i am so not ready. we'll see how it goes. sister m and i will be able to go to the tec (teacher evaluation center) twice this week to get help preparing. (i saw mike tew there!)
what else? there's so much and only ten more minutes. oh! mom- UPDATE MY ADDRESS ON FACEBOOK! if you can't i can have mandi do it. she's already my loyal gamma writer. she overnighted me a letter = dedication to my cause and our friendship. the food is hao bu hao (okay). not as bad as i was led to expect. i've already become a fan of salad wraps and mashed potatoes. the days here are jam-packed. i don't think i've ever been so productive in my life! it's kind of wearing though. i'm not supposed to tell you this but i'm a bit sick. yes, my snot started clear and is now green and yellow. awesome. i'm sure it will pass quickly if i can just get to bed at the lord's time. we seem to never make the 10:30 lights out rule! we're busy leg wrestling and chatting about missionaries we write and our favorite things at home.
i think it's starting to set in that i'll be here for the long haul. ten more weeks until taiwan is hit with something they never could have imagined (ME... zeng jiemei). i know that i'm going to grow a ton, i already have. and i know that i'm where i should be (harriet nye building room 335). the spirit is so strong everywhere around here, it's almost like one big celestial room but not as beautiful. pray for me and those around me, we need it.
henduo ai (much love),
SISTER jade lani ozawa
zeng jiemei
two minutes to spare... today at the temple i put on my dress backwards. one of the elders in the zone calls me "sister sarcastic". the mtc president quotes john wayne . my bedroom is ugly and needs drawings from the little girls. so far i've gotten a letter every weekday, let's keep that up by communicating my contact info to all in sight, earshot, internet reach. i love love love you. and miss you all. muah!
i was so mad when i found out that i wouldn't be able to check for emails that you may have sent. dad found dearelder.com, bless him. i recommend that you guys use it and tell everyone else to as well (via facebook, word of mouth, email, etc). it's free and i get the letters that day or the next. i regret to inform you, father, that troy beat you to it and his was the first letter i received.
so, the mtc is wonderful and i'm happy. lately my faith has been like a rollercoaster but i tell myself that that's exactly what lucifer is trying for, you know, to break me down right now. i constantly think back to opening my call, getting here and what not and jump right back in.
my companion is sister mcintosh (mei jie mei) from northern california via byu-h. we're different but i love her. we get along really well so far. in my flat are a girl from japan and sister mckinley. sis mckinley is so cool. she's friends with gretchen devine, my friend through wyatt. my district is freaking SICK (i've only said freaking once since i got here!)!!! there is elder welling (wang zhanglao), the guy i met on facebook. he goes to the y and is really easy going. his companion is elder britt (wu zhanglao). he is my biggest struggle in the mtc. the kid spent three months in china and thinks he knows everything. he corrects our teachers. he corrects me. and a lot of the time HE'S WRONG! whatever. the third companionship is my favorite... elder cornelius (liu zhanglao) and elder kitterman (tang zhanglao). kitterman is related to the 8th ave kittermans! he's from gilbert and is a talented singer and pianist. he just got called as district leader and will be so great at that! elder cornelius is a girl in gamma's brother. he is sosososososo funny. we laugh all the time (sometimes getting in the way of work). he has a dry sense of humor and says the most hilarious stuff. as a whole we rock. we're all going to kaohsiung and plan to own the place!!
my zone is pretty fly too. we have quite a few from new zealand and australia . zack peterson (of cowles relations) is in there and kelli angulo (an jiemei). she and i get along really well.
my teachers are brother money (qian laoshi) and sister smith (shi laoshi). i love them. brother money is dorky and i want him to date, but he's so smart and kind. i make him laugh when i say things to sister mcintosh like "only because wo ai ni" (only because i love you). i've learned a lot from them and they are constantly bearing testimony and enriching mine. the language is A BEAST!!!! on saturday i have my first task at the TRC/LRC (teaching/learning r.... center). as a companionship we have to "walk through a park and contact three people", introducing ourselves, praying with them, bearing testimony and asking for referrals then we have to teach the first discussion in english. i am so not ready. we'll see how it goes. sister m and i will be able to go to the tec (teacher evaluation center) twice this week to get help preparing. (i saw mike tew there!)
what else? there's so much and only ten more minutes. oh! mom- UPDATE MY ADDRESS ON FACEBOOK! if you can't i can have mandi do it. she's already my loyal gamma writer. she overnighted me a letter = dedication to my cause and our friendship. the food is hao bu hao (okay). not as bad as i was led to expect. i've already become a fan of salad wraps and mashed potatoes. the days here are jam-packed. i don't think i've ever been so productive in my life! it's kind of wearing though. i'm not supposed to tell you this but i'm a bit sick. yes, my snot started clear and is now green and yellow. awesome. i'm sure it will pass quickly if i can just get to bed at the lord's time. we seem to never make the 10:30 lights out rule! we're busy leg wrestling and chatting about missionaries we write and our favorite things at home.
i think it's starting to set in that i'll be here for the long haul. ten more weeks until taiwan is hit with something they never could have imagined (ME... zeng jiemei). i know that i'm going to grow a ton, i already have. and i know that i'm where i should be (harriet nye building room 335). the spirit is so strong everywhere around here, it's almost like one big celestial room but not as beautiful. pray for me and those around me, we need it.
henduo ai (much love),
SISTER jade lani ozawa
zeng jiemei
two minutes to spare... today at the temple i put on my dress backwards. one of the elders in the zone calls me "sister sarcastic". the mtc president quotes john wayne . my bedroom is ugly and needs drawings from the little girls. so far i've gotten a letter every weekday, let's keep that up by communicating my contact info to all in sight, earshot, internet reach. i love love love you. and miss you all. muah!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
